What's with the weird bird noise?

[PuzzledBear]

Does anyone know why cats make a noise when they see a bird? I'm assuming it's a common thing and my cat isn't just being weird? It's a sort of chattering sound and her teeth click together. It doesn't seem the smartest thing to do if you were planning on a stealthy approach, so does anyone have any idea what it's about?

It's to 'charm' the birds, the better the cat is as it the more likely the bird will come closer to investigate. Mine do it at sweet wrappers being blown about in the wind too.... Numpties!

I thought our girl was doing ti because she was frustrated that she couldn't get to the birds outside.

Seriously? Do birds really come and investigate? My cat lives indoors so I haven't seen this in action.

Some of the bolder ones like blackbirds or robins will ime. I'm not sure if it's a very efficient way of hunting, but it's been shown in wild cats as well that use it to mimick birds and small primates.

Thank you mogz, that is fascinating, I had no idea!

my ginger and white boy does this when hes indoors at the window but i dont know if he does it outside and yes its supposed to foll the birds that they are a bird

Isn't nature cool!
I'm hoping to retrain as an animal keeper and education specialist over the next few years so I've a head load of interesting (if a bit useless!) animal facts.

I've read that the chattering is them instinctively 'rehearsing' their special prey-killing bite, because of excitement at the prospect of catching the bird/whatever it is.

My lovely ginger boy used to stand under our fir trees looking up and yowling. We never really worked out what his thinking was but I'm pretty sure it never help him catch any birds: never saw him with any birds although he was a great mouser.

He did get attacked by a small group of crows every time he left the house one particular day so perhaps the yowling was his hunting cry and they recognized that and were trying to scare him off.

My girls have been known to sit below the bird feeder in our cherry tree and do it ever with the hope that a bird would jump down and say ok then.. eat me!